Xbox One Release and What it Means for Brands
The Ambassador theatre Nov 14th-17th was the chosen gamezone for the Xbox One Tour, covered with a sea of screens and bean bags it was like the ultimate Christmas morning for gaming advocates and passing fans alike. The experience gallery allowed you to navigate the latest technology and games for Xbox One as well as allowing you to explore the unique world of Kinect.
At circa âŹ500 a pop, the Xbox One is that bit bigger, better, faster and stronger than the last model. One of the coolest specs added to the Xbox One is the 8-core x86 processor which lets you instantly switch between a game and your favourite entertainment apps at speed and with ease and without any disruption to performance. While the HDMI Pass-Thru allows you to connect your UPC/Sky box to your Xbox One enabling you to watch TV through your Xbox, which makes switching inputs seem almost clumsy.
It was without doubt that Xbox would use this opportunity to upgrade the Kinect in line with the Xbox One release to a more powerful system. A long with a tonnes of other exciting features Microsoft have introduced real Voice technology with an all-new multi-microphone array focused on the sounds that matter. Advanced noise isolation lets Kinect know who to listen to, even in a crowded room. You can even use your voice to launch any Xbox One experience from anywhere in the system, so you can quickly move from one experience to another
Without understating it the biggest advancement to come from the Xbox One release is Xbox SmartGlass App http://www.xbox.com/en-IE/smartglass taking Omnichannel to new levels. The new app turns your mobile phone or tablet into a second screen that allows for your devices and TV to talk to each other to personalize and enhance your favorite movies, music and games. You will be able to use your phone, tablet, or Windows 8 to control your living room Xbox experience. Navigate the Xbox menus, pause and rewind your favorite movie, swipe, pinch, and tap to get online on your TV, and use your device's keyboard for easy text input and search on your console. Even more exciting than that though is that connected devices allow you to watch one experience on your TV, while getting relevant immersive details about a movie or game including an interactive companion guide, behind-the scenes commentary and footage, and real-time game strategyâŠetc.Â
Minority Report technology and behaviour is coming itâs already landed! With 670,000 Xbox consoles sold (pre Xbox One) and 340,00 Xbox Live accounts active in Ireland, gaming is taking over and brands need to embrace the gamer movement. As film and cinema converge with gaming and screens become our biggest vice, brands need to stand up and take stock of where gaming sits within their strategiesâŠhow it lives in their target audiencesâ world and how can they use it as a platform to tell their brand stories in a compelling way.
Branded content opportunities exist in gaming through Integrated channels â featuring a click to landing experience which consists of strong branding, video gallery, image gallery, link to browser (creative refresh included) also Click to Browse, and Click to Video which can extend out the reach of your TV adve. What is also becoming popular is NuAds which interrupt with an interactive polling ad that asks consumers to make a choice ranking on a related question to the ad.
There are rules of engagement here and brands need to carefully plan their route in. This is a rich immersive territory so when your brand shows up in the thick of the action it really needs to have a value added purpose â be it great relevant content, or a competition to an unmissable event or experience. Depending on your goal, relying on a static push message may cause your comes to get passed over in this experiential environment.
Careful planning and audience understanding will enable relevant brands to identify the right approach and tactic with gaming as a channel to utilise to tell their brand stories and to deliver a deeper connection with their target audience in a more meaningful way.